'It just wasn't meant to be'
Earnhardt can't put on big move to defend Daytona title
Posted: Saturday February 27, 1999 03:53 PM
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Even with the pedal to the metal, Earnhardt couldn't get his car around Jeff Gordon. David Taylor/Allsport |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (CNN/SI) -- Dale Earnhardt's day began with a ceremony returning last year's Daytona 500-winning car, and ended with a second-place trip to the infield media center instead of Victory Lane.
Having survived engine problems and a multicar crash, Earnhardt formed an uneasy alliance with defending series champion and 1997 Daytona winner Jeff Gordon. They passed then-leader Rusty Wallace on lap 190, putting Gordon in the lead. But Earnhardt never made his final pass.
Instead, he hugged Gordon's bumper to the finish line, unable to coax more horsepower and a second straight Daytona 500 title from his No. 3 Chevrolet.
The car -- limited by the restrictor plate used by all drivers at Daytona -- had nothing left to give. And not even Earnhardt could make a race-winning move under those conditions.
"I couldn't really muster much on Jeff," Earnhardt said. "His car was stronger from the center to the corner and I just never could get to him. I never got a chance to get a bump on him. It just wasn't meant to be, I reckon."
So, there was no repeat for Earnhardt, no using his car to carve donuts in the grass, the way he did last year when he finally took the only major championship to elude him over his 25-year career.
And there was no repeat, a la John Elway, the Denver Broncos quarterback who won two straight Super Bowls and inspired Earnhardt.
Instead, it was a fifth second-place finish at Daytona, making him the all-time leader in that category, passing Cale Yarborough.
"I have to thank Dale for a great race," said Gordon, giving the courteous tip of the hat rarely seen from his older, more surly competitor known as "The Intimidator."
"He's taught me so much out there. He's probably going to tell you I learned too much from him."
It showed over the final 10 laps.
Gordon and Earnhardt took a wild, daring trip through the pack, moving from eighth and 10th place, respectively, to knock teammates Rusty Wallace and Jeremy Mayfield out of the lead.
Then came the Gordon-Earnhardt showdown that has been seen all-too-rarely over the years. It was everything racing fans could have hoped for.
"I'd have to say they got their money's worth today," Earnhardt said.
Gordon set the pace over the final laps, slowing and speeding at the perfect time, keeping just the right amount of air between their cars to keep Earnhardt from using the draft to slingshot past him.
Earnhardt's best hope would have been to get a bump from teammate Mike Skinner, but Skinner was in fourth, pinned behind rookie Kenny Irwin.
Asked if he could have used Skinner's help, Earnhardt snapped.
"How do you take a car out from between us and get (Skinner) behind me," he said. "It's not like he can say, 'Hey I'm moving up,' and just drive over the other guy."
With no help from behind, a savvy driver in front and no way of generating any more power from his own car, Earnhardt had to settle for second.
He figured that wasn't bad, considering that troubles with his electrical system had dropped him to the middle of the pack, almost an afterthought until the last, wild 10 laps of the race.
"It was pretty physical out there," he said. "Just to survive that last five or 10 laps was a good thing, it was pretty awesome just to come home and finish. We were happy to get second."
But as everyone has learned over the years -- especially last year -- he really would have preferred Victory Lane.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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